Woods Students join global campaign for justice

Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College (SMWC) joins with activists around the world for One Billion Rising for Justice. The campaign will build upon the energy and momentum that was created in February 2013 when one billion activists in 207 countries and territories came together to rise, strike, and dance, in the biggest mass action in human history, to demand an end to violence against women and girls. Last year, nearly 100 people participated in the event at The Woods.

The Peace and Justice Committee hosts this year’s event on February 13, 2014, at the Indiana Theatre at 7 p.m. It will focus on the issue of justice for all survivors of gender violence, and ending the rampant impunity that prevails globally. The dance is symbolically meant to shake the earth and hear one global voice.

“As an active group at a women's college, we find it necessary to focus on events that bring awareness to gender equality and the rights of women,” said Paige Fath, junior and president, Peace and Justice Committee. “One Billion Rising is just that: a celebration of the strength and courage of the feminine spirit, connecting women all around the world.”

One Billion Rising for Justice is a call to women, men, and youth around the world to gather– court houses, police stations, government offices, school administration buildings, work places, sites of environmental injustice, military courts, embassies, places of worship, homes, or simply public gathering places where women deserve to feel safe but too often do not.

The campaign recognizes that violence against women cannot end without considering at the intersection of poverty, racism, war, the plunder of the environment, capitalism, imperialism, and patriarchy. According to organizers “impunity lives at the heart of these interlocking forces.”

The event is free and open to the public. To learn more about One Billion Rising for Justice, email pfath@smwc.edu, visit www.smwc.edu or www.onebillionrising.org/

About One Billion RisingOne Billion Rising was the biggest mass action in human history. The campaign began as a call to action based on the staggering UN statistic that 1 in 3 women on the planet will be beaten or raped during her lifetime. With the world population at 7 billion, this adds up to more than ONE BILLION WOMEN AND GIRLS. On 14 February 2013, people across the world came together to strike, dance, and RISE in defiance of the injustices women suffer, demanding an end at last to violence against women. Over 10,000 events took place on the ground and the campaign took over media and social media worldwide for 48 hours, trending in 7 countries – 4 times in the US alone. The wildly successful grassroots campaign was covered widely by media in all corners of world including The New York Times, The Guardian, NPR, and many more. www.onebillionrising.org

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